YOUR VIEWS: Letters to the editor

The Charlottesville, Virginia, tragedy renewed discussion concerning the value of Confederate symbols such as the Confederate uniform, flag, and monuments to Confederate leaders.

Are these symbols remembrances of a key point in American history to be cherished by subsequent generations? On the other hand, do they only serve to keep a national wound open and festering?

Perhaps some thoughts of the well trained and capable Confederate General Robert E. Lee around whose statue the Charlottesville protest revolved would provide guidance. According to Lee's biographer, Jonathan Horn, "It is often forgotten that Lee himself, after the Civil War, opposed monuments, specifically Confederate monuments."

Lee didn't support a monument to Stonewall Jackson. In fact, Lee supported getting rid of the Confederate flag and didn't want them flying above Washington College, of which he was president after the war. According to Horn, "Lee did not want such divisive symbols following him to his grave and did not want the Confederate uniform or flag at his funeral procession."

Horn goes on to say that Lee believed countries that erased visible symbols of civil war recovered from conflicts quicker and was worried that by keeping these symbols alive, it would keep the divisions alive."

Could it be that this Confederate leader's words in defeat could be his best gift to his country and serve as a guide toward closing this long standing wound and finally allow the nation to reunite and recover? Let's give it a try.

GEORGE COWEN

Brookfield

Learn lessons from record storms

Harvey, the recent storm that devastated Houston, bears similarities to Utica’s storm flooding of this past July. Both Harvey and Utica’s July flooding were record breakers. In Utica’s case, we had a “once in one hundred year storm” with rainfall of 3.2 inches.

So, why didn’t the engineers plan for such a large storms?

The answer in both Utica’s and Houston’s cases is that the engineers use "historical data" in planning for storm effects. This means that, in Utica’s case, they used the storm history of the past 50 years to plan their various projects.

However, with a "one-in-a-hundred-years storm" occurring every few years or so, historical data ceases to accurately predict future storm size. That is because weather patterns are changing and engineering computer models must change also.

Simply complying with federal standards will not work either because those standards fail to take into account the changing weather patterns as well. So, what we have is not just a New York state problem but a problem for the whole country.

I told this to Joseph Rabito, the governor’s deputy secretary for intergovernmental affairs, when he came here at my insistence to tour the West Utica flood damage and meet with local residents.

LOU POCCIA

Utica

Trump handling of disaster commendable

As the radical Left's absurd portrayals of President Trump are proven to be falsehoods, more and more Americans view him favorably.

When Hurricane Harvey hit the mainland, the entire country saw a president with a heart and real management skills. When disaster strikes you need a manager not a politician. Donald Trump didn't resort to the liberal politically-correct narrative, making the storm victims feel sorry for themselves. He called them survivors, not victims, praising them in the face of devastation for their fortitude and bravery.

The biased media reported this as lack of empathy, while criticizing the First Lady's footwear when she boarded Air Force One , accompanying her husband on a flight to Texas, sick people! So refreshing when the governor and local officials commended the president's daily calls before the storm landed and how well he organized FEMA's quick response and other organizational agencies. Even MSNBC noticed "how good he looks handling Hurricane Harvey, we're seeing a remarkably different president!" Even Nancy Pelosi sees it, warning "The voters don't want us criticizing their president, this was their choice, they made a decision."

TOM WILLIAMS

Clinton

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